CUNONIACEAE
Morphological description
Woody, non-climbing.
Leaves
Leaves compound, opposite (incl. verticillate), serrate / dentate, yellowish upon drying, penninerved, interpetiolar stipules Leaves simple, verticillate (all Acsmithia, some Pullea).
Inflorescence
Inflorescence,
Flowers
Flower 4- or 5-merous, sepals and petals free, disk present; ovary more or less superior ovary 2-locular, stamens in 1 or 2 whorls. Flowers apetalous, carpels free, fruit apocarpous (Acsmithia).
Fruit
Fruit a dehiscent capsule. Fruit apocarpous (Acsmithia); fruit winged (Gilbeea); fruit a 1-seeded drupe (Aistopetalum; Schizomeria).
Seed
Seed winged.
Different from: Saxifragaceae: exstipulate, ovary inferior. — Staphyleaceae: glands on top of rachis, ovary 3-locular.
Distribution: A mainly southern hemisphere family; in the tropics mostly montane. In Malesia 9 genera, incl.: - Acsmithia (East Malesia, Australia, West Paciļ¬c) trees, shrubs; lowland and montane forest; - Caldcluvia (East Malesia, Australia, New Zeeland), trees; montane forest; - Weinmannia (southern hemisphere, throughout Malesia), trees; montane forest, often in open places.
Notes: In many species the dispersal of the tiny seeds presumably is by wind. — Timber: Caldcluvia.
Literature: A. Engler, Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 18a (1928) 229-262.
Spot characters (Van Balgooy): Cunoniaceae stipules interpetiolar , leaves compound opposite (p.p.), leaf with domatia (p.p.), leaf margin dentate/ serrate (p.p.), flowers 3-merous (p.p.),style long forked (not double), fruit compound (p.p.); Acsmithia leaves verticillate (p.p.), leaves bullate (p.p.), apocarpous, seeds winged; Aistopetalum leaves compound opposite; Caldcluvia glands on petiole or lamina, stellate hairs (p.p.), leaves palmately compound (p.p.), leaves compound opposite (p.p.),inflorescence compact (in a head) (p.p.), Lagerstroemia capsule; C. brassii leaves bullate; Ceratopetalum glands on petiole or lamina, petiole swollen apically, leaves palmately compound, leaves compound opposite (p.p.), dry leaves yellow, calyx accrescent; C. succirubrum plants with red or orange sap; Gillbeea leaves compound opposite,corolla/petals fimbriate or bifid, fruit winged; Pullea glands on petiole or lamina, leaves verticillate (p.p.), leaves bullate (p.p.), inflorescence compact (in a head) (p.p.), apocarpous; Schizomeria serrata plants with red or orange sap; Spiraeanthemum seeds winged ;i winged rachis/petiole (p.p.), leaves palmately compound (p.p.), leaves bullate (p.p.), apocarpous, seeds comose.
Illustrations: Fig. 46. A. Engler, Nat. Pflanzenfam. ed. 2, 18a (1928) 229-262.
Image in PhytoImages for Cunoniaceae